The Global Prolife Alliance (GPA) has urged the National Assembly to amend the proposed Nutritionists Registration Council of Nigeria Bill, warning that its provisions could extend professional regulation to ordinary cooking, traditional food preparation, religious dietary practices and other lawful culinary activities.
Chairman of GPA, Academician Dr Philip C. Njemanze, made the appeal in a submission addressed to members of the National Assembly, arguing that the bill, in its present form, contains broad regulatory powers, licensing requirements and criminal penalties that could create uncertainty for Nigerians engaged in food-related businesses and household activities.
Njemanze maintained that while regulating qualified nutritionists could serve legitimate public health objectives, the legislation must clearly distinguish professional nutrition services from ordinary food preparation, catering, culinary instruction and the sharing of traditional food knowledge.
He warned that failure to establish clear boundaries could expose cooks, chefs, caterers, food vendors and culinary instructors to unnecessary regulatory restrictions, potentially threatening livelihoods and increasing barriers within Nigeria’s food-service industry.
The GPA chairman also raised concerns about provisions relating to professional accreditation, training, unlicensed practice, disciplinary proceedings and criminal penalties. He specifically called for a review of Sections 17–23 and 27–30, arguing that the requirements should apply strictly to activities that fall within clearly defined professional nutrition practice.
According to Njemanze, the bill’s provisions must also be examined against constitutional protections relating to personal liberty, fair hearing, privacy, freedom of religion and freedom of expression under Sections 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 of the Nigerian Constitution.
He argued that the proposed law should not inadvertently restrict religious dietary observances, traditional culinary practices or the dissemination of general nutrition information through families, religious communities, apprenticeships, books and public education.
Njemanze further drew attention to Section 16A of the Constitution, which establishes a policy objective concerning food security, urging lawmakers to consider whether the bill’s licensing and regulatory requirements could increase the cost of food services or restrict the availability of culinary workers.
He, however, acknowledged that Section 16A constitutes a directive principle of state policy rather than an automatically enforceable fundamental right, describing it as an important consideration in assessing legislation that could affect food availability, accessibility and affordability.
The GPA chairman urged the National Assembly to expressly exempt ordinary household cooking, conventional catering, traditional recipe-sharing, culinary apprenticeships and general non-professional nutrition education from professional registration requirements, except where individuals undertake activities specifically defined as regulated nutrition services.
He also called for clearer definitions of prohibited conduct, proportionate criminal penalties, stronger procedural safeguards in disciplinary proceedings and limits on the Council’s delegated powers to prevent regulations from extending beyond the scope intended by the legislature.
Njemanze recommended wider consultations involving nutritionists, medical professionals, culinary workers, farmers, educators, religious communities and consumer groups before the bill’s final passage.
He stressed that the objective should be to establish a constitutionally sound regulatory framework that maintains professional standards and protects public health without unnecessarily restricting traditional practices, lawful livelihoods or access to food.
